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2016 Year in Review: Top 10 Photos from KamalaDevi, Michael & Devin

Without a doubt, this year has been characterized by ease. I’m enjoying new levels of pleasure while writing, traveling and mothering! As per my annual tradition, I wrote a year in review, by selecting my top 10 favorite photos from 2016 and adding juicy details in the photo captions.

10. We’re enjoying radiant physical and mental heath!

(PHOTO ABOVE) This boat is en route to a tiny island in the south of Sweden where we climbed rocks and soaked in an outdoor sauna with our soul tribe, Rachel and Buster. This picture was taken just moments after Devin (age 9) shouted over the noise of the outboard motor “This is my kind of adventure! I’m the kind of person that prefers herbs to the suburbs.”

Me too, Devin! Adventure and herbs have healed me. Along with saunas, prayer, forgiveness, community, and a variety of other natural healing practices. I have NOT suffered from any seizures , anxiety or insomnia since the Tony Robbin’s Date with Destiny last December! I’ve since been on a strict diet: NO blaming, bitching and/or complaining! I even created a series of 30 day challenges to help. Between dance, Pilates and plant based protein, I’ve gained 20 pounds, (mostly in my boobs and butt.) Medical tests confirmed that I’m now free from bio-toxin illness. I even started experimenting with new supplements from Neurohacker Collective. In 2017, I intend to experiment with Gluten Free cooking!

9. Devin is boldly taking us where no one has gone before!

Devin helped in the co-creation of his own halloween costume this year. Watching Star Trek’s Next Generation together has been one of the greatest joys of parenting. He even taught himself the theme song on the piano.

Regarding the technology of teleportation, Devin says: “As I understand it, the process would involve particle replication and de-materialization.” Then he thinks about it for a moment and says, “this brings up the old philosophy problem: If you have an axe and replace it’s head 3 times and replace the handle 4 times, is it still the same axe?”

Other adventures included: Joining a Water Polo team in La Jolla. A 30 day challenge to learn handwriting. Gold mining in Julian followed by star gazing at an observatory with Viraja & her boys. In Kung Fu he is a student leader and has earned his purple belt.

Perhaps the most complex and memorable compliment that we’ve gotten about our parenting was when the Child Protective Services caseworker said that our son was amongst the most well-adjusted children she’s ever interviewed. We are so grateful to all the family, friends and fans who supported us during the investigation before the city dismissed the case as a false claim from an unrelated person.

8. Birthing THREE new books!

Cartwheels! High Fives! As a result of my weekly writing dates with Cheri and my online course, How to Write a Book in 90 Days, I managed to self published 2 new babies: Polyamory Pearls & Sacred Slut Sutras. Sacred Sexual Healing – The Shaman Method of Sex Magic was also translated into SPANISH and ALL my books are now available on Amazon and make great gifts!

Since we independent authors don’t have big corporations to back us, our biggest assets are our networks of people we know, word of mouth and leveraging our relationships. This is how we maximize our reach and share our gifts in the world. Please help me spread the word.

(Some of these books are still CENSORED, but you can access them with the special links above.) After my 4th book was censored by Amazon, I’m seeking a trade publisher for my forthcoming erotic novel: 52 Fridays With my Bitch with co-author Roxanne DePalma, which I’m excited to see published in 2017!

7. The couple that plays together, stays together!

We celebrated our 14 year anniversary with romantic Valentines weekend in San Francisco. In this picture, Michael’s performing in “Bawdy Storytelling” alongside poly legend Dossie Easton (co-author of Ethical Slut) where we won a raffle bag of sex toys! We also saw Mustang (Kamela Peace’s) first Drag King competition and Madison Young’s one woman show. We concluded our weekend trip with a luxurious play party held at a hotel suite by Cathy Vartuli and Reid Mihalko.

We are in a relationship renaissance as our Passion and compassion seems to have doubled this year. We’ve worked to heal deep emotional scars from our breakup with Rachel and are learning to appreciate each other’s differences. Michael managed to write me 30 consecutive love letters, while I stopped picking fights every time I got PMS. In addition to having fun at play parties, Michael has a deepening long distance relationships with goddess Ria who is an ISTA assistant, my writing buddy and soul sister. Locally, he’s also dating Leana who has become part of our poly family. Meanwhile, I’ve been maintaining my Fridays with Roxy, monthly dates with James and Sharmila, and seeing long distance beloveds when I travel. At the “Wild Love Retreat” in the Czech Republic, Bruce introduced me to a Finnish Gypsy, Mia, and I got to spend intimate time with Aviv, Araminta, Jasmeen, & Dez.

6. Roxanne, I loved you since I knew ya…

For the last 5 years, our relationship has been getting more creative. For our poly-versary we posted our first Live Stream FB video. We recently completed the first draft of our manuscript (52 Fridays with my Bitch) and are currently shopping for publishers! At the beginning of the year, Roxanne took 2nd place in the Iron Man Bikini Competition. I felt proud seeing her sculpted body in a sexy blue rhinestone studded spandex bathing suit, but wouldn’t mind if it were the last time she competes at a Fitness Expo. It took a tremendous amount of time and energy, not to mention the toxic spray-on fake tan! By the end of the year she and her husband moved into a new palace, down the street from my mom’s new house!

5. Hail! My Alma Mater: International School of Temple Arts (ISTA)

This photo was taken at Kehena, the nude beach on the Big Island of Hawaii during the graduation of the Spiritual Sexual Shamanism Level 1, which was taught by Ohad, Robert & Myself, and attended by Michael, Ria and about 50 soul sisters & brothers. I’ve come to think of the International School of Temple Arts as my “Alma Mater” because the phrase literally translates to “nourishing mother” and simply means a school you’ve graduated from. The ISTA community has been a tremendous source of spiritual nourishment. I’ve re-kindled my dream to someday create a sustainable intentional tantra & poly community, but in the interim, it’s important to gather in retreats to practice our tribal skills and reclaim our negative sex programming.

4. Seeing the Midnight Sun at the worlds largest Tantra Festival!

Imagine over 500 tantrikas dancing, singing & frolicking in the Scandinavian forests for a wild, week-long festival at ängsbacka, one of Europe’s finest institutes for intentional community. The summer sun in Sweden is intoxicating. A perfect setting for Devin to chase frogs and pick blueberries while his mommy did deep women’s work with Rachel, Monique and the visionary organizer, Lin Holmquest. Afterwards, Devin went on to tour the Norwegian fjords with his uncle Christian.Michael and I stayed for a deep dive into ISTA Level One retreat led by Bruce Lyon, Dhyan Niten and myself with 72 participants (which is a record breaking number for the week-long Spiritual Sexual Shamanic Experience.) Many participants reported profound awakening experiences, including my own healing with my former lover Rachel and her new beloved Buster who courageously joined us for the transformative event.
This was such an unbelievable journey, we vowed to do it all AGAIN! Join us for the 2017 Tantra Festival, followed by a deep dive into ISTA’s Level One training with Andrew Barns, Stephanie Phillips and myself. Afterwards we’re adding a Level 2 with Janine McDonald and Ellie Wild…This promises to be a game changing trip!

3. My Mother is moving back into my life!

This is a picture of Me and Roxy at the inspection of my mom’s new house in Carlsbad (which is just down the street from Roxanne’s new palace!) My mother sold her house in Laguna Beach because she wants to move closer to Mexico and spend more time with me and her youngest grandson, Devin. She is an artist, a mystic and a yogini at heart. Our relationship is complex and has not always been easy, but her adjustment has been surprisingly smooth and in time I look forward to introducing her to the rest of my lovers! I’m also happy to be deepening our spiritual bond!

2. This is me, naked, in the desert of Israel.

I went on an ecstatic eco-sexual hike with an intimate group of cosmic lovers, led by Shai Shabtai, who took a series of photos. During my 3 weeks in Israel, I spent tons of time in nature– in sacred reflection. After leading a play party in the desert, I explored the hills outside Jerusalem with the botanical wizard, Barry Shapiro, taught about the Future of Free Love in Tel Aviv, then led a weekend retreat on a kibbutz overlooking the ocean. Thanks to the visionary invitation by my Host David Cohen, I had a powerful pilgrimage. Among the many things I learned, was the hebrew word “Balagan” which means fiasco, or chaos. It not only perfectly sums up my experience of teaching in a tent during a wind storm, but the US political affairs since the 2016 US elections. Mamma Israel has shown me to surrender more and more to the sacred messy.

1. The real reason I write books, is to throw a big Party!

Publishing a book is like a rite-of-passage, and in 2016, I gave birth to TWO fraternal twins! It felt important for me to celebrate with the community. It was like a twisted kind of baby shower with 108 friends, lovers, fans, and even blood family. I not only shared valuable insights which I gleaned from the writing process, but got to show off my other brain child: Tantra Theater. After over 7 weeks of Improv classes with Shawn Roop, our ensemble put on a campy show that involved roasting my books! Ironically, the reward of a big glamorous social event is exactly what I needed to keep me going during the long lonely hours of writing my next books in 2017.

About Kamala Devi

Kamala Devi is a nationally recognized speaker, author, mentor and polyamory activist who created the Beyond Monogamy program to help open minded people liberate their love lives. She has been successfully navigating open relationships for over 15, in an open marriage for 13 years and is a mother. Her family stars in Showtime’s hit docu-series, Polyamory: Married & Dating. Kamala Devi has recently been featured on Ricki Lake, Dr. Drew, Tyra Banks and the award winning documentary, Sex Magic. Kamala Devi is the founder of Tantra Palooza, San Diego Tantra Theater and Poly-Palooza. Her mission is to awaken healers, teachers and visionaries to becoming love leaders. http://www.KamalaDevi.com